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Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the content of bioactive substances (total phenolic compounds and flavonoids)
and the antioxidant activity of aqueous extracts of date varieties grown in Algeria (Ourrous, Deglet Nour, Beid Lahmam,
Outkbala, Taneslit, Tamjouherte, Tazerzeite and Takermoust) using spectrophotometric methods. Phenolic compounds were
determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The total phenolic content ranged from 169.18 to 381.76 mg of gallic acid
equivalents per 100 g dry matter, while the flavonoid content varied between 28.68 and 95.22 mg quercetin equivalents per 100
g dry matter. The antioxidant capacity was determined in vitro using scavenging effect of diphenylpicryl-hydrazyl radical
(DPPH) and phosphomolybdenum assay. The results indicated that cultivar had pronounced effects on both phenolic
compound levels and antioxidant potential. Among the studied samples, Ourrous variety contained the highest amounts of
bioactive compounds and exhibited the best antioxidant activity. The evaluation of antioxidant activity of the eight date
varieties revealed highly significant correlation (p<0.001) between anti-radical ability and total phenolic (r = 0.77), and
flavonoid contents (r = 0.88).
Keywords
Phoenix Dactylifera, Varieties, Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Activity
Received: April 10, 2015 / Accepted: May 3, 2015 / Published online: June 8, 2015
@ 2015 The Authors. Published by American Institute of Science. This Open Access article is under the CC BY-NC license.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
1. Introduction
The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a subtropical fruit
tree, native to Iraq and other countries of the Middle East. It
is the only Phoenix species grown for its edible fruits
(Serrano et al., 2001). Fruits of the date palm are very
commonly consumed in the world and are a vital component
of the diet in most of the Arabian countries, due to their highenergy value and high levels in simple sugars and minerals.
With over 789 350 tons per year, Algeria is one of the main
producer of dates. It occupies the fourth position with 11.24%
of the world production (FAO, 2012), but from a qualitative
point of view, it ranks first with a dominant production of the
most appreciated worldwide variety "Deglet Nour" (Chibane
Corresponding author
E-mail address: haylouaileche@yahoo.fr (H. Louaileche)
et al., 2007).
The date fruits are highly nutritious and may have great
potential as a medicinal food for a number of diseases
inflicting human beings (Vayalil, 2012; Assirey, 2015).
Several studies from different countries including Algeria
(Benmeddour et al., 2013), Bahrain (Allaith, 2008), Iran
(Biglari et al., 2008), Oman (Al- Farsi et al., 2005) and
Kuwait (Vayalil, 2002) have demonstrated that dates are a
good source of antioxidant compounds. Phytochemical
investigations have revealed that the date fruits contain
phenolics, flavonoids, procyanidins and anthocyanins,
compounds known to possess multiple beneficial effects.
64
Hayette Louaileche et al.: Total Phenolic, Flavonoid Contents and in Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Algerian Date
Palm Varieties: A Comparative Study
American Journal of Food Science and Health Vol. 1, No. 3, 2015, pp. 63-68
65
4. Conclusion
The current investigation confirmed that date fruits can be
considered as a potential natural source of bioactive
phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds and flavonoids
that play a major role in human health as free radical
scavenger. Our findings showed statistical significant
differences for both phenolic content and antioxidant
potential of date fruit varieties, Ourrous being the best fruit.
The date varieties which exhibited the strongest antioxidant
66
Hayette Louaileche et al.: Total Phenolic, Flavonoid Contents and in Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Algerian Date
Palm Varieties: A Comparative Study
American Journal of Food Science and Health Vol. 1, No. 3, 2015, pp. 63-68
Equation
y = 0.291 x 27.256
y = 0.108 x + 135.74
y = 0.158 x + 28.344
y = 0.384 x + 145.21
y = 0.528 x + 43.87
67
68
Hayette Louaileche et al.: Total Phenolic, Flavonoid Contents and in Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Algerian Date
Palm Varieties: A Comparative Study
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the Algerian Ministry of Higher
Education and Scientific Research, and Laboratoires Hors
Murs, Montpellier, France, for financial support of this
work. The authors are also thankful to Mr Boullahouat
Nourredine and all persons who have provided the date fruit
samples used in this study.
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